Thoroughbred Horse Show Association Created to Provide Opportunities for Thoroughbreds beginning Show Careers

Lexington, KY –  A group of Central Kentuckians interested in creating opportunities to showcase the talent and competitive spirit of Thoroughbreds off the racetrack has created the Thoroughbred Horse Show Association. The association is working to develop shows exclusively for Thoroughbreds to give them valuable show experience while helping rescue organizations place Thoroughbreds in new homes. THSA members will be able to follow these horses in the shows because the horses must be entered using their registered names with The Jockey Club. 

“Adopting Thoroughbreds after they race is a significant issue and will become even more important if race-day medication is ended and additional racehorses need to find second careers,” said THSA founder Jan Roehl of Lexington. “Our logo of a horse jumping out of a paddock symbolizes these horses are not ready to retire.”

Shows are geared for Thoroughbreds just starting their show careers with entry-level divisions in multiple disciplines, including dressage, combined training, hunter/jumper, suitability for hunting and competitive trail riding. THSA already has scheduled shows in 2012 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington for April 14-15 and October 6-7, and is working with rescue organizations and others to hold additional shows next year.

“Thoroughbreds off the track make very talented show horses, but they first need experience to develop their abilities and be seen by trainers who can take them to the next level,” said Roehl, who has spent much of her life working with Thoroughbreds in the show ring and on the racetrack.

Because Thoroughbreds that compete in THSA or affiliated shows must be entered using their registered name with The Jockey Club, THSA members will be able to follow the second careers of horses they admired at the racetrack.

“This is a great feature of THSA membership,” Roehl said. “Many of us would like to keep up with horses after their racing careers end and they become show horses. More often than not, Thoroughbreds off the track don't show under their registered names, so there hasn't been an easy way to follow them.”

Roehl said THSA is a membership-driven community designed to connect Thoroughbred owners to a large group of like-minded people who care about the future of these horses. The association's annual membership of $300 will finance shows and promote Thoroughbred adoption. THSA has launched a website at http://tbhorseshow.org where people may learn more and join the association.

Joining Roehl in THSA is John Prather, a veteran event coordinator and manager. Prather is a board member for Equestrian Events Inc., the governing body of the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event, and is on the board of Blue Grass Farms Charities. He was the main stadium manager at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games at the Kentucky Horse Park.

For more information, contact Jan Roehl at (859) 421-8710 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Note:  Photo above of Party Leader, a retired Thoroughbred in retraining for a second career at the Maker's Mark Secretariat Center at the Kentucky Horse Park.

This weekend, July 15-17, you can meet Sato, a Thoroughbred who is an extremely rare palomino pinto sabino.

This 16-hand stallion is registered with The Jockey Club and the American Paint Horse Association.

He has the flashy coloration of a Paint and the sleek, elegant conformation of a Thoroughbred, making him one show-stopping piece of equine eye candy. Sato will be appearing courtesy of BreyerFest so come out and see him!

Watch a video of him, shot at the Kentucky Horse Park on July 14, 2011: